Breakdown of Hjörðin kann að fylgja göngumynstrinu.
að
to (infinitive marker)
fylgja
to follow
kunna
to know how to
hjörðin
the herd
göngumynstrið
the migration pattern
Questions & Answers about Hjörðin kann að fylgja göngumynstrinu.
Wait, doesn't kunna usually mean 'to know how to'? How does it mean 'might' here?
While kunna often expresses having a skill or knowing how to do something, it can also express possibility (a chance that something is true or will happen). When used as kunna að plus an infinitive, it translates to 'might' or 'may'.
Why is göngumynstrinu in the dative case?
The verb fylgja (to follow) always requires its object to be in the dative case. The base word is the neuter noun göngumynstur, which becomes göngumynstri in the dative, plus the definite neuter article suffix -nu.
Could I use gæti instead of kann að to say the herd 'might' follow the pattern?
Yes, you could say Hjörðin gæti fylgt göngumynstrinu. Using geta in the subjunctive (gæti) is very common in everyday speech for 'could' or 'might'. Kunna að is slightly more formal or predictive, making it a great fit for a nature documentary. Note that gæti requires the supine form fylgt, whereas kann að takes the infinitive fylgja.
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